Reciprocating gas-engine.



W. M. LEEDOM.

RBGIPROCATING GAS ENGINE.

ArrLIoATIoN FILED 1111.14, 190s.

Patented May 24, 1910.

:mms rum. mc 1.11m wnmman seat and difficult to take up wear.

'right angles to `its axis.

WALTER MILES LEEDOM, 0F COLTON, CALIFORNIA.

RECIPROCATING GAS-ENGINE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24, 1910.

Application filed January 14, 1908. Serial No. 419,761.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, VALTER MILES LEE- DoM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Colton, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented a .new and useful Reciprocating Gras-Engine,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in gas engines and the' main object of the invention is to provide a novel form of valve for controlling the inlet and exhaust ports, whereby a single'mechanism for actuating the valve will control the admission of1nixture to the cylinder andalso control the exhaust of the burned gas from the cylinder, thus obviating the employment of two valves and two valve operating mechanisms.

A further object is to provide 'a vare which is operated by rocking it, and a. further object, also, is to so construct the rocking valve that a perfect tit between the valve and its seat is maintained at all times and to so construct the valve and its seat that leakage of gaspast the valve is prevented at all points of contact between the valve and its seat.'

I am aware that rocking valves have heretofore been employed for controllingthe ports. but in such valves it was difficult to secure a close fit between the sides of the valve and the. valve chaniliel. that is. between the sides of the valve which are at. d l"urther1nore. it was difficult in such valves to always maintain a goed fit between the valve and its I overcome these difficulties b v providing a spheral valve and a spheral valve chamber or seat. the valve having a face not only concentric with its axis, but being circular in a plane at right angles to its axis and every point on the face of4 the valve being located at an equal distance from a central point in its axis midway of the two ends of the axis. while the valve seat has a spheral concave face. all points of which are equidistant from the said central point of the axis of the.

valve. B v reason of the spheral shape of the valve l ain enabled to extend the packing rings circularlv around the valve in planes parallel with its axis. lVith such a construction it is obvious that it is possible to perfectly pack the valve and prevent escape of gas around the same at all ivoints. lt will also be apnarent that .such a construction affords one in which the valve can be perfectly seated and always have a perfect tit' with its seat irrespective of its position and which will also permit the valve to au-A tomatically take up wear. Vith this c onstruction the strain of the pressure against the valve, which 1s produced by the explosion. is not borne entirely by the shaft which rocks the valve, but is borne by the seat of the valve. y

Referring to the drawings: Figure l is a vertical section through an engine constructed with my invention. Fig. 2 is a seotion on linel ce2-a1? Fig. 1. F ig. 3 is a section on line ac3- m3, Fig. l. Fig. et is a plan view in detail olf-.the valve.

l designates the cylinder mounted on rtrank base 2, with crank shaftl 3, connecting od 4 and piston 5 operating in the cylinder 3l. The uppery end of the cylinder has a spheral head 6 which is in communication with the main body of the cylinder. The head 6 has a depressed upper portion 7 which. reduces the volume of the head without interfering with the operation of the valve. y

8 designates an inlet port and 9 designates an exhaust port, which ports are diametrically opposite in the head 6.

l0 designates the valve which is spheral," 'as shown, and which is mounted on a rock .shaft 1l. the latter being journaled in the walls of the head (3 and the valve being secured on the shaft T by a feather l2 which permits longitudinal movement of the valve on its shaft. but causes the valve` to turn with the shaft. The valve is thus allowed to automatically shift, longitudinally of the shaft 1l to take a proper seat in the head 6. The valve is provided with packing rings 123 which are circular and extend around the valve in planes parallel with the shaft- 11, so that the entire contacting surface of the valve is provided with packing which prevents ewape of gas past the valve. On the end of the shaft l1 is an arm 14 connected to ay rod l5. the latter sliding in a guide 1G and carrying a roller 1T at its lower -end which is actuated by a cani 18 on a cam yso escape from the cylinder. At the end of the exhaust stroke the'cam 18 will have pas'sed the rollerl 17 which will permit the spring 22 to expand and move valve rod 15 lto its lowest position, thereby rocking valve 10 into the opposite position, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. During the next downward stroke of the piston the suction in the cylinder carries the mixture through the ports 8 into the cylinder under the valve l0 and at the conclusion of the intake stroke,

the cam 18 will have again reached the roller 17 and will raise the valve 10 sufficiently to cut olf both the inlet port 8 and exhaust port 9 very early duringl the compression stroke, so that as the piston moves upwardly thev gas is compressed. Ignition takes place at the end of the compression stroke which forces the piston down through its working stroke and at the conclusion of the working stroke the cam 18 will raise the roller 17, thereby shifting the valve into the position shown in Fig. 3, permitting the'exhaust. The exact shape of cam 18 will be determined by the width or area of ports 8 and 9 and by the width of the valve 10, and it revolves atone half the speed of the crank shaft. The cam 18 should be so shaped and timed that it will cause the valve 10 to close the inletport 8 'and exhaust port 9 very early in the compression stroke.

It will be noted that when the valve 10 is in mid position at 'the time of explosion the upper half of the head 6 acts to resist upward movement of the valve'on account of the decreasing capacity of its concavity, so that the shaft 10 is relieved of the strain of the explosion- Moreover, the upward pressure at the time of explosion forces the valve more tightly in its seat thus preventing escape of gas past the valve. It will also be noted that by reason of the spheial convex shape of the valve and the spheral concave 4 shape of the head, the valve is enabled to accommodate itself to its seat and take up wear. f What I claim is: 1. In a reciprocating gas 'engine comprising a cylinder 'havin headprovided with in et and exhaustv ports,

a splieral valve fitting inv said head, and.

valve operating mechanism.

2. In a reciprocating gas engine coniprising a cylinder with a spheral head provided with inlet and exhaust ports, a shaft in said head, a spheral valve splined on said shaft' and .fitting the head, and mechanism for rocking said shaft. l v

3. In a gas `engine comprising a cylinder with :a spheral head of greater diameter than inlet .and exhaust located at diametiically 'opposite points ofthe head, a s'pheral valve in said head, and

means for operating the valve to open and close said ports.

,5. AIn a gas engine, a cylinder having a sph'eral head with inlet and exhaust ports, a spheral valve in said head, means for operata spheral cylinder ing said valve, and circular packing rings in said valve lying in planes substantially parallel with the axis of the valve.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WALTER, MILES LEEDOM.

Witnesses lViLLiAM C. FULLER, M. F. CROPLEY. 

